Upcoming Events:

Special Board Meeting

Next Regular Board Meeting

May 14, 2015 7 AM

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Board meetings will take place at 7 am the second Thursday of each month until November, then meetings will be at 1 pm.

PAM Cost Share

PAM or polyacrylamides are applied to irrigation water in order to reduce erosion on agricultural fields throughout Kittitas County. This sheet is a basic guide to getting started with PAM applications. For more in-depth information, please call or stop by the Kittitas County Conservation District office at 607 E Mountain View, Ellensburg WA 98926 or talk to your agricultural chemical dealer.

PAM is applied in two general forms - solid and granular. Solid PAM is usually in the shape of a small tablet or a larger block. The tablet is placed at the head end of the furrow under the stream of water from the gated pipe or siphon tube. One tablet generally treats about 400'. The blocks are used in the head ditch to treat the water. The blocks need a turbulent location in order to break down and move in to the water.

The granular form of PAM is applied using two methods- metered by machine into the head ditch or placed in a long patch at the head end of the furrow. Several machines are used to meter it into the head ditch including gandy box, missile machine, jug dispenser and fish feeder. The premise of all of these machines is to meter the PAM into the water at a rate of 10 parts per million (equivalent to 0.6 ounces per minute for a foot of water). The PAM needs to be metered into turbulent water in order to ensure adequate mixing. Granular PAM that is applied to the furrow is spread in a long thin patch along the side/bottom of the furrow. Easy to use applicators are available for purchase at local businesses.

Deciding which method is right for you is dependent on your situation. If your water is relatively clean, metering is a good way to ensure that your concentration stays consistent, although the equipment can sometimes be challenging. Metering PAM into your head ditch is not a good idea if your irrigation water is high in sediment as the PAM will settle the sediment into your head ditch or gated pipe and not be as effective in the field. Metering is a one time application, while the in-furrow methods require hand placement of PAM in each furrow. The benefits of the in-furrow patch method include ensuring every furrow is treated, and not worrying about equipment problems or whether or not your water is turbulent enough for mixing. Tablets are very convenient application method involving no equipment, although the tablets sometimes float/roll away or some tablets dissolve faster than others so the application rate is not as consistent as is recommended. These methods may also be combined (e.g., furrow patch method and a block of PAM in the head ditch) for maximum benefit.

The Kittitas County Conservation District, with funding from the Washington Conservation Commission, is offering a cost share program for private landowners interested in reducing soil erosion through the use of Polyacrylamides (PAM). The cost share rate is 50% with a limit of $1,000 per applicant (50% of $2,000 in receipted PAM purchases). Any fields where PAM is used are eligible for the program.

Again this season, cost share for PAM application devices is available as well. The cost share rate is also 50% with a limit of $150 per cooperator (50% of $300 in receipted purchases of PAM applicators). This brings total cost share payments to a maximum of $1,150 per cooperator per year.

Please fill out an application form. If you are interested in participating, please fill out the highlighted sections and return as soon as possible. No additional application is necessary to receive cost share on the purchase of an applicator device, just check the appropriate box in Section 4. Funds for this project are limited and available on a first-come first-served basis.

The Cooperator Report of PAM Application and the Request for Reimbursement do not need to be turned in until you complete the irrigation season or the use of PAM which ever comes first. The purpose of the Cooperator Report form is to gather enough information so that we can calculate the amount of soil saved through the use of PAM. It is important for this information to be collected so that we may report the benefits of the program. Please be sure to sign the bottom of the form before turning in the report.

Due to policy changes with the cost share funding source, the KCCD cannot cost share on PAM receipts that are dated prior to the application being signed by the KCCD Board . Please turn in applications as early in the irrigation season as possible.

The Kittitas County Conservation District provides this web site as a service to our customers. We strive to make sure that the information provided is as accurate and current as possible. Further, the Kittitas County Conservation District does not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information provided and shall not be held liable for any losses caused by reliance on the information provided in any part of this web site.